The Coca-Cola Company said today that it plans to buy Anheuser-Busch InBev’s stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa after InBev completes its merger with SABMiller, Coke said in a prepared statement.

SABMiller shareholders approved a $104-billion merger in late September with Belgian giant Anheuser-Busch InBev, making way for one of the largest-ever mergers in history.

InBev closed its acquisition of SABMiller Monday to create a giant beer company with a large African footprint. As of late August, SABMiller had a 54 percent stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, which distributes about 40 percent of Coke’s volume on the continent, Wall Street Journal reported.

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola is exercising its right to acquire AB InBev’s stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa because it intends to implement its long-term strategic plan in these markets with other partners, Coke said.

SABMiller’s equity stake in the African bottling venture is estimated to be worth about $4 billion, according to analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein.

“While the company respects ABI’s (AB InBev’s) capabilities, it has a number of existing partners who are highly qualified and interested in these bottling territories,” Coke said in a statement.

There’s speculation AB InBev could eventually try to acquire Coke, the world’s largest beverage company. Coke wants to keep AB InBev at arm’s length, according to Wall Street Journal. AB InBev also is a major bottler of nonalcoholic drinks in Latin America for PepsiCo Inc., Coke’s longtime rival.

Coca-Cola Beverages Africa began operating in July, initially doing business in 11 countries with plans to expand to 14. Based in South Africa, it has more than 30 bottling plants in southern and eastern Africa.

Coke and South Africa-based Gutsche Family Investments, another longtime bottling partner, owned minority stakes in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa.

Coke formed Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in 2014 along with SABMiller and the Gutsche family, the South African owners of bottler Coca-Cola Sabco. Coke retained the right to buy SABMiller’s stake in the event of a change of control at the brewer, Reuters reported.

Coke will negotiate terms of the deal with AB InBev in the coming months and continue talks with potential partners to refranchize Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, the company said on Monday.

Coke owns 11.3 percent of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa. SABMiller owns 57 percent. The Gutsche family owns the rest.

Coke’s other bottling partners include Coca-Cola FEMSA in Mexico and Latin America, Coca-Cola HBC AG and Coca-Cola Enterprises in Europe.

When Coke announced its three-way partnership in late 2014 with SABMiller and Gutsche, it estimated the new bottling entity had $2.9 billion in annual revenue and $505 million in earnings before interest, tax and amortization, WSJ reported.

At a time when soda consumption is slowing, Coke has been divesting manufacturing and distribution assets worldwide as part of an “asset light’’ strategy to focus on its more profitable concentrate business.

Coke has hundreds of bottling partnerships around the world. Industry analysts have flagged potential partners in Africa including Europe-based Coca-Cola European Partners PLC, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co. and Mexico’s Coca-Cola Femsa SAB.